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Supporting information

Enhanced Photocurrent Density of Hematite Thin Films on FTO Substrates: Effect of Post-

Annealing Temperature

Eun Soo Cho, Myung Jong Kang and Young Soo Kang*

Korea Center for Artificial Photosynthesis and Department of Chemistry, Sogang University, Seoul 121-742, Korea

*Corresponding Author E-mail: yskang@sogang.ac.kr

Electronic Supplementary Material (ESI) for Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.This journal is © the Owner Societies 2015

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Figure S1. Cross-sectional SEM images of 10DA hematite films (a) H550 (b) H

600 (c) H700 and (d) H800 (all scale bars are 2μm).

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Figure S2. Digital pictures of H550, H600, H700 and H800 hematite thin films

prepared by deposition and annealing (DA) method of 10 DA cycles.

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Figure S3. Top-view SEM images of H550 samples with (a) 20 DA (b) 30 DA

and (c) 40 DA cycles (all scale bars are 5μm). Cross-sectional SEM images of

H550 samples with (d) 20 DA (e) 30 DA and (f) 40 DA cycles (all scale bars

are 2μm).

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Figure S4. 2D and 3D atomic force microscopy scan images of bare FTO (a-1)

and (a-2), H550 with 10 DA (b-1) and (b-2), H550 with 20 DA (c-1) and (c-2),

H550 with 30 DA (d-1) and (d-2), H550 with 40 DA (e-1) and (e-2). (8x8 μm

image scale, Rq is root mean square roughness of surface).

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Figure S5. 2D and 3D atomic force microscopy scan images of 10DA hematite

films H550 (a-1) and (a-2), H600 (b-1) and (b-2), H700 (c-1) and (c-2), H800

(e-1) and (e-2). (8x8 μm image scale, Rq is root mean square roughness of

surface)

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Figure S6. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of H550 samples prepared with 10

DA, 20 DA, 30 DA, and 40 DA cycles (SnO2 for JCPDS No. 77-0451 and a-

Fe2O3 for JCPDS No. 79-1741).

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Figure S7. Nyquist plots of H550 films with 10 DA, 20 DA, 30 DA, and 40 DA,

with 1 sun illumination condition.

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Figure S8. TEM SAED patterns of FTO substrate (SnO2) for (a) H700 and (b) H800 with 10 DA cycles. Spectrum line profile for spot 1 in H700 (a-1), spot 2 in H700 (a-2), spot 3 in H700 (a-3), spot 1 in H800 (b-1), spot 2 in H800 (b-2), tilted spot 1’ in H800 (b-1’) and spot 2’ in H800 (b-2’).

D-spacing values have been calculated by spectrum line profiling. Distance between pattern and pattern has been measured in spectrum line profiling, take the inversed value to get d-spacing value as marked on each spectrum line profiling.

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Figure S9. Photocurrent density curves of hematite thin films with 10 DA

cycles at different annealing temperature. (a) 550 °C, 560 °C, 570 °C, 580 °C,

590 °C, 600 °C (b) 700 °C, 750 °C, 800 °C.

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Figure S10. Nyquist plots of (a) H550, (b) H600, (c) H700, (d) H800 with 10

DA in dark condition and 1 sun illumination condition.

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Figure S11. Nyquist plots of (a) FTO550, (b) FTO 600, (c) FTO 700, (d) FTO

800.

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Figure S12. Photocurrent density curves of FTO550, FTO600, FTO700,

FTO800, dark scan, H550, H600, H700, and H800 samples with 10 DA.

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Figure S13. Schematic drawings on wave function overlap and electron-hole

recombination rate along the inter-particle distance.

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Figure S14. XPS spectra of (a) Sn3d configuration and (b) O1s configuration

for 25 °C FTO substrate, FTO substrate annealed at 550 °C and FTO substrate

annealed at 700 °C.

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Figure S15. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) analysis for H700

sample of 10 DA cycles. (a) Image for spectrum, (a-1) spectrum of designated

area in (a), (b) image for spectrum, (b-1) spectrum of designated area in (b).

Red line is Fluorine K edge peak position.

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Figure S16. UPS valence band position assignment of (a) H550, (b) H600, (c)

H700 and (d) H800 with 10 DA cycles.